Parable of The Weeds

Good morning. As always it is a good day to be here with all of you. I am so glad that we can worship and join together in engaging God’s Word.

Let me start with a simple question.

How many of you like to Weed your Garden?

Let’s be honest it is not the most enjoyable thing to do. It is a lot of work and it usually is hard on the back and the knees. It is not the most enjoyable process. However, we know it is an important process. Weeds can really hurt your Garden.

Weeds are a challenge. I learned a lot about them this week when studying this mornings passage. I found a couple interesting quotes about them that I wanted to share.

When they get big enough that anyone can recognize them it is too late.

-James Worthington (president of the North Central Weed Science Society)

Or if you don’t trust an academic.

If the weeds are so big that I can recognize them from the tractor, I know I am too late. You’ve got to get them before that

—Cliff Carstens (farmer)

As you can hear that weeds are a tough thing if you don’t spot them early. If you don’t deal with them right away they can create a lot of problems.

What happens though when the weed is sneaky though. When the weed that is growing is so deceptive it looks like the plant that is being grown?

Even worse, What do you we do when it is sown in by our enemy?

This is where we start with this mornings Passage.

Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 13

Matthew 13:24–30 NIV

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

The Good Soil & The Weeds

When we Read verse 24 we can see here that there is a connection back to the previous parable of the Sower. The Soil that is producing is deeply connected to this one. The Man who sows good seed helps remind us that the good seed is going to produce a great harvest.

Matthew 13:8 NIV

8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Sabotage

This is the point where the sabotage comes in.

Not only does the enemy swoop in and steal the seed that lands on the hard path but Satan comes in to try and destroy the crop that is sown in the good soil. He sows the weeds that will cause the problems for the farmer.

Yet, we heard earlier in the quotes I shared how important it is to catch those weeds early.

Satan is crafty though he knows what he is doing he plants a particular weed that you can’t tell that it is a weed until it is fully grown.

This weed has an actual name and is commonly thought to be the weed known as

Darnel

The problem with Darnel is it looks almsot exactly like wheat until the ears of the crop show up. It is here that the differences can be seen.

Photo of Darnel and wheat

You can see in this picture how the two plants look different. Not only that but visually when ripe Wheat will be brown and Darnel will be black.

However, until the ear grows they are nearly indistinguishable.

This helps us understand verse 26 better

Matthew 13:26 NIV

26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

Darnel

One of the dangers of darnel is it comes with a fungus that when ingested can cause what is described as “drunken Nausea”. This can be a fatal problem.

What to do...

This is the problem the farmer now faces. You can’t leave a dangerous plant amongst your crop. the danger it presents could be catastrophic.

At the same time if you pull it now you will destroy the wheat sown around it. The root systems are intertwined. Based on the extent of the work of the enemy it had to have been pretty thorough of a sowing of the weeds because the damage would probably compromised the whole field.

The Farmer decides to wait since the weed can be now identified easily by the ears of the crop. To separate and to destroy the weeds at the harvesting of the crop. Making sure that none of it remains he burns it in the furnace. Yet the wheat will be gathered up and placed in the Barn.

Interpreting the Parable

This is the challenge that we now face in reading this parable. How do we understand it. There are two main ways that you will find this parable interpreted.

The first is a very narrow focus on this parable.

When we look at the parable the field or good soil is ascribed as the church. the weeds are the sins and false teachings that can be sown in the church and we have to guard against them because if we allow them to take root and grow they it will be too late to do anything about them.

This interpretation is one that was held by many well known early church teachers and theologians. It presented the challenge and reminder that we are to be cautious and on the watch for the enemy sowing bad seed and catch it before it is too late.

If we don’t catch it early the only way it will be ever dealt with is in the end when the separation comes.

It is also this idea of separation at that end that has taken people to see the field as the church but that we are to be tolerant and welcoming of all people. That sin and problem teachings can be left for God to sort out.

This however doesn’t stay consistent with other teachings with Matthew

Matthew 18:15–17 NIV

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Interpreting the Parable

We are called to address problems within the church. We are called to help fellow Christians to grow in their faith.

I will put a word of caution here though. Before we challenge each other. There better be a lot of prayer and careful evaluation of the Spirit before confronting another believer, and even in the confrontation of a believer there needs to be the ever present attitude of grace present.

This view of the Parable is one that sees the church as the subject though and the various understandings that it brings.

The Second understanding of the Parable has some problems.

This happens when we sometimes get ahead of ourselves and don’t want to examine the whole context of a passage and only see certian aspects. Because Jesus creates some challenges for us and helps us understand what he is saying in this passage.

Matthew 13:36–39 NIV

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

Jesus’ Explination

Jesus paints it pretty cut and dry,

He is the sower.

The field is the World

Good Seeds are the children of the Kingdom

Weeds are the Children of the evil one

the Enemy is the Devil

The Harvest is the end of the age

the Harvesters are the angels

The field is the whole world. If Jesus was reffering to the church the authors might have used the word Eklessia which would mean the followers of Christ.

The Authors used the Greek word Kosmos which is translated as the world or the natural order of things. This is important because it is a reminder that the intentions behind this were a larger view than just the church.

We should be careful though because there is merit to the idea of the church being on guard and working to stay faithful to the teachings of God. We are called to do that.

In the World

The seed is sown in the field which is the world. Those who beleive will exist still in the world. We will grown amongst the rest of the world. Yet, the evil one is ever present and is sowing the seeds that can cause us problems. It is here that we are reminded that we don’t live in a world that is easy. We must remain on guard because we are living amongst the weeds. There are forces and attitudes in this world that would challenge us and seek to destroy us if we aren’t careful. We must be ever mindful of what is around us.

The Separation

The truth is that at the end of the day the harvest will come and the angels will separate the good from the bad. The Ripe wheat from the Poisonous darnel. The Master only will keep what is good and destroy the rest.

We are called to be righteous and we are called to be holy separated and living in a manner that is pleasing to God.

This doesn’t mean that we will be perfect all the time. This doesn’t mean that we won’t face hardship. It is the reminder that the end of the age will one day come and the harvest is absolute. There is no middle ground in this area. We choose to be among the wheat or among the weeds. This is why Jesus admonishes us and encourages us

Matthew 13:43 NIV

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

We are to keep on listening to engage the word of the Father. To dig deep into his love despite the challegnes we face in the world.

The Weeds will exist and they will be present amongst us as we walk on this earth. Yet, we can take comfort in knowing that when we listen and we engage with our Heavenly Father we can take comfort that one day evil will be judged. That one day we will shine. This is the hope that we serve a God who wants us to be drawn close to him to shine like the sun.

Let’s Pray.